Blog Archives

The Crafty Nurse here with some mid-week inspiration using a technique called “Pearly Gelato Wash” from Pat’s newsletter pages. Over the beautiful gelatos background, I stamped “Painted Rings” with Simon Says Stamp white pigment ink. My sentiment is another favorite called, “Doo Wah Ditty”, which I framed with distress ink and backed in black cardstock then finishing off with Clear Nuvo Drops.

Have you joined our monthly challenge? If not, we’d love to see your cards and your entry may just win a prize at the same time. You can find the challenge over on the sidebar of the Technique Junkies Blog.

We’d also love to see your cards and projects over at the new Technique Junkies Facebook Group.

I hope you are finding some time to get inky today even if it is a week before Christmas!! Also, I can’t wait to show you the new January Release for Technique Junkies with the much anticipated Blog Hop on January 1st.

The Crafty Nurse here celebrating the 30 Days Of Christmas here on the Design Team Blog. I am absolutely in love with the “Christmas Dove” stamp and couldn’t resist using it again for my Day 14 post.

To create the card I used the Rubbed Gelato’s Technique from the Artistic Effects CD. This begins by stamping “Christmas Dove” on watercolor paper and heat embossing with white powder. I then applied the Rubbed Gelato Technique and created a shaker card for some fun. The silver frame is a My Favorite Things die. To create some additional visual interest, I stamped one of the many fabulous Snowflakes stamps on the card edges then finished with the “Merry Christmas 2” sentiment.

We would love for you to keep following the Design Team Blog for more Christmas ideas using the Technique Junkies stamps. There is only a few days left to grab the Christmas stamps at 20% off through October 31st.

Today I have a great technique from the Artistic Effects CD called, “Faux Metal Gelato.” I began by heat embossing the “Christmas Dove” with silver embossing powder on black paper. On a second sheet of black paper I embossed the snowflake background using a Sizzix folder. I then applied the gelato technique and fussy cut the dove, popping him up on the background. The “Merry Christmas 2” sentiment is stamped in archival ink on silver card stock. For some sparkle, I added silver glitter paper on a black card stock base. I’m thrilled with how this came out!

Like this:

Happy June 1st fellow Junkies! With summer almost here, the Technique Junkie Design Team is kicking off those anticipated warm sunny days with a blog hop showcasing the new Technique Junkies stamps for June. In addition to a bunch of cool new stamps, there are stencils, art anthology colorations, and a variety of new dimensional mediums perfect for those who like to play with ink. As a special treat, Pat is offering 15% off all June Release Stamps for one week! WooHoo!

I’d love for you to stop by all the design team’s blogs for great ideas and samples of other new June Release stamps you can find in the Technique Junkies Store.

My first card uses the Alcohol Stencil Tutorial on the Sensational Stencils CD. This is a super cool technique and really easy. I started by making a bunch of card bases using different inks and moving my Crafters Workshop Cell Therapy stencil around. To create the card, I stamped Tide Pool Starfish #S632 image on the alcohol stencil background in Archival Sepia ink. I pulled a few other starfish from the other sheets to pop up and cut out a Tim Holtz Movers & Shapers Seahorse inking all those edges. I also used those other sheets to stamp my sentiment “Winds of Change #SD621” using black archival ink. I created a scalloped frame by hand and cut it out to highlight the sentiment.

My final card uses the “Gelato Wipe Tutorial,” from the Sensational Stencils CD. Don’t these CD’s have tons of great techniques? I used three different colors of Gelatos on each card and finished using this beautiful stamp from the June Release called “Different Flowers.” Both are heat embossed on a heavier Bazzil Vellum and wrapped around the card base. I finished off with a few sequins and gems and called her done!

Now, that I’ve shown you what I have to offer, I don’t want you to miss any of the other design teams creativity so I encourage you to start hopping at the Technique Junkies Design Team Blog.

I’m so excited to be part of the Technique Junkies Design Team and today is my first post for the Design Team Blog.

For my card today, I’m bringing you a wonderful spring image from the Technique Junkies April release called, “Whimsical Garden #SD620”. To achieve the background, I started by laying down Gelato’s in Mango, Lemon, Lime, and Tangerine. I then sprayed a light mist of Dylusions Ink in Pure Sunshine through my flower stencil.

Next, I stamped the flowers with Versafine Black Onyx Ink and clear embossed them. I almost never use black embossing powder as I don’t like the fly away remnants I always get with black embossing powder. Using a black pigment ink and a clear powder gives you the same pop of black, without any stray powder on your project.

I hope you’ve gotten a little inspiration today and sure hope you’ll join me in getting inky with some Technique Junkies stamps! For more great ideas on how to use Gelato’s and Spray Inks with stencils check out the Sensational Stencils CD.

To celebrate the new website and the Technique Junkies April stamp release, I’m also excited to announce that I will be part of the new Technique Junkies Design Team, YEAH!!!!! I couldn’t be more thrilled.

I’ve been a member of Technique Junkies for several years and have thoroughly enjoyed the techniques offered. I’d encourage you to come on over the the Technique Junkies Design Team Blog and subscribe so you too can enjoy some inky goodness.

I’ve used the April Release, “Nesting Bird – #MC001” and “Be Silly – #SDX001″ for my first card. I colored the image with Copic Markers and used the “Head over Heels” 6 x 6 paper pack by Lily Bee Design. The base, flag and circle dies are from My Favorite Things.

My second card features “Lovers Silhouette -#SD636”. I heat embossed clear powder over black Versafine ink. I then chose four different Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magical Mica colors and watercolored them in an ombre pattern. I die cut Ellen Hutson’s Brushstroke Love Die and inlayed it into the embossed image. The frame is a My Favorite Things Die and the paper pack is Fancy Pants “Love” collection.

My third April release card features some super cool flowers called, “Darling Blossoms – #S615.” I used Gelatos in a direct to paper method, then added highlights with Pitt Brush Pens in corresponding colors and white. The sentiment is from the versatile sentiment set called, “Things I Want To Do #S546.” I then finished it off with a spritz of homemade pearlized spray.

I sure hope you enjoy the hop and get a chance to stop by the new Technique Junkies website to check out all the fun new stamps. As a special treat all Technique Junkies stamps will be 15% off from April 1-8. Happy Hopping!

Day 17’s page uses Tim Holtz’s Distress Paint Daubers to make flowers. I topped all of them with a TON of stickles because I have lots of them and can’t really use them on my Operation Write Home cards. I got that idea from Joggles U-tube channel.

Day 17 Dauber Flowers with Stickles over watercolor base

Day 18 uses a lettering technique to make large statement words. The pages starts on a base of Gelatos and I used Sharpie Paint markers for the colored letters. I have a LONG way to go and A LOT to learn when it comes to hand lettering, but I have to say it really interests me and found a great book on Amazon called “The Art of Whimsical Lettering” by JoAnne Sharpe.

Hand Lettering w/Sharpie

Day 19 is a fun page I really like and uses some watercolor paint and salt to make some fun background texture.

Watercolor & Salt

Day 20 uses die cuts collaged on the page and then using the new Dina Wakely Acrylic Paint over them. If you haven’t tried her paints I would highly suggest it. They are FABULOUS. I have a ton of paints and I tell you the vibrancy and texture of this is like using butter. It’s fabulous. Hobby Lobby is now carrying the line so I’ll be there to pick up the other colors very soon.

This page felt chaotic to me, so I came up with the theme “lost ?”, because as humans, we all feel that way and I’m sure most everyone can relate. It’s life and that’s what Art Journaling is meant for, expression.

Die Cut Collage

Last, Day 21 is a favorite so far. The technique is stamping into transparent molding paste for texture. To do this you apply a fairly even, thin layer of translucent molding paste, then simply stamp into it, letting it dry and painting over it with distress paints in shaded lilac and picked raspberry. I cut out some of the newsprint collage sheets for flowers and the butterfly and used some old stamps from my stash. I like that the little girl in the top right corner almost looks like me when I was a little girl. I hated that pixie, but that’s what I was given. I did some hand patterning around the edges that I learned from the Sakura website. They have some great video’s, so I’d check them out.

I’m home on vacation today just playing at my craft desk. This card was made with digital image and sentiment by Doodle Pantry colored with Copics (R24, R27, R29, R59, R89, C2, C4, C6) on a background of black card stock treated with silver gelato and black paint then embossed with a Tim Holtz folder. The “ground” is also black card stock, but treated with Brushed Pewter Distress Stain to look smooth. Silver embellishment on pole is metallic thread.

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The Crafty Nurse

Hi! I'm Kathy, a Southern Californian native who has lived in the west coast, midwest, northeast and now the southeast. I'm a Registered Nurse who lives for the creation of Art. I am currently on the Design Teams of Cards in Envy, From The Heart Stamps, and Technique Junkies with previous design credits for A Blog Named Hero, A Day For Daisies, Creative Vision, From the Heart Stamps, Open-Minded Crafting, Repeat Impressions Stamps, Sketch Saturday, Send a Smile 4 Kids and Try Stampin' On Tuesday. I've also guest designed for Crafting By Design, Kenny K, The Alley Way, and Simon Says Stamp. I am married 25+ years to a wonderful man and have two very special grown sons, Dan and Matt.